Showcasing Your Product to International Customers
Grant program helps Kansas companies exhibit at international trade shows.

By Jamie Collop

Do you have dreams of showcasing your product in foreign markets? Kansas has a program that can help bridge the financial gap to international trade shows.

The Kansas International Trade Show Assistance Program (KITSAP) provides financing to help Kansas companies exhibit at international trade shows. The grant program, which is administered by the Trade Development Division of the Kansas Department of Commerce, seeks to introduce Kansas companies to foreign markets.

Eligible companies are those whose product or service originates in Kansas or whose products receive substantial value-added processing in Kansas. In addition, the company must be a first-time exhibitor at the show for which it is applying.

How to Participate
Companies interested in applying for the KITSAP program must complete a short application and be approved for funding before attending a funded trade show. Applicants then attend the funded trade show and pay their pre-approved expenses out of their own pocket. After returning, the company then can claim reimbursement from Commerce for a maximum of $1,500 for a domestic show or $3,500 for a show outside the U.S. Direct expenses that can be considered for reimbursement include:
•    Booth space
•    On-site booth space design and construction
•    Booth assembly and disassembly
•    Booth furniture and/or equipment rental
•    Transportation of equipment/materials (except for shows within the U.S.)
•    Interpreter fees at the show
•     Translation fees for company literature or business cards
•    Custom broker fees
•     Foreign value added tax (VAT) and visas

Some examples of non-reimbursable expenses are travel, lodging, meals or personal expenses, hospitality and promotional or giveaway items, among others.

Real-Life Benefits
Each year KITSAP helps 80 to 100 Kansas companies exhibit in international trade shows.

Continental Agra Equipment Inc., Newton, buys and sells used feed mills, grain elevators and industrial equipment. Over 50 percent of its market is in Latin America. The company projects over $3,000,000 in sales from their participation in four shows.
Lisa J. Fitzroy, company controller, said, “Without KITSAP, we would be unable to participate in as many trade shows as we are currently. By attending these shows, we make contacts outside of the United States that might otherwise be inaccessible.”
Agtech, Manhattan, is a distributor of embryo transfer and artificial insemination supplies for animals. They used KITSAP to participate in two international trade shows in 2002.

From displaying at the 26th Annual National Congress of Buiatrics in Mexico, Agtech projects $60,000 in future sales and received many follow-up sales contacts and training requests through their Mexican distributor.

Agtech President John Curtis attended the AgroFood Tech show in China. By participating in this show, AgTech was able to generate a large number of sales leads and multiple quote requests.

“Agtech sales in China have gone from less than $5,000 in 2000, to in excess of $50,000 in 2002. Attending AgroFood Tech helped our company solidify a very profitable partnership in Beijing,” said Irazema Flemons, Agtech international sales and marketing manager.

If international markets are on your horizon, the trade show assistance program might just be your ticket to showcasing your product and meeting global customers and partners.

Jamie Collop is the International Trade Representative for the Kansas Department of Commerce & Housing, Trade Development Division, Overland Park office. He can be reached at (913) 345-8072 or , or in Topeka, through April Wang at (785) 296-5473 or For further information on the Trade Development Division and the Kansas Department of Commerce, please visit www.kansascommerce.com.